Rutgers QB Philip Nelson charged with assault in Minnesota

A Rutgers quarterback who recently transferred from the University of Minnesota was charged with criminal assault Monday after he allegedly kicked another man in the head, leaving him in critical condition and unlikely to fully recover, according to Minnesota court records.

Philip Nelson, 20, is seen in this May 11, 2014 booking photo provided by Blue Earth County Jail.

Philip Nelson, 20, told police he had been drinking early Sunday morning in a downtown district of his hometown, Manketo, Minn., when he became involved in a fight over a perceived slight to Nelson’s girlfriend, according to the court records, which were released Monday.

Friends, teammates and community members hold a candle light vigil, Sunday, May 11, 2014, for former Minnesota State, Mankato, linebacker Isaac Dallas Kolstad in Mankato, Minn.

Surveillance video shows Isaac Kolstad, 24, was first punched in the face by an unidentified man in a red shirt. While Kolstad was lying limp and unresponsive on the pavement, Nelson kicked him at least once in the left side of the head.

“The video clearly shows that Kolstad was defenseless as Nelson delivers the kick or kicks to the head,” the court records read.

Kolstad transferred to Rutgers in January. He is a former linebacker at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The charges come as Rutgers attempts to pull itself out from under a series of scandals that have plagued the school administration and the university president as the school attempts to transfer to the Big Ten Athletic Conference.

In his two years as Rutgers president, Robert Barchi failed to act promptly on complaints that a men’s basketball coach was abusive to players; hired an athletic director, Julie Hermann, who had been accused of verbally abusing players in the past; and increased subsidies to the athletics department by two-thirds to nearly $47 million to cover costs of the basketball scandal and joining the Big Ten conference.

Most recently, the university was fielding complaints about its botched invitation to a former football player as a graduation speaker. School officials allegedly disinvited Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed four years ago in a university football game, and later blamed it on miscommunication.

Rutgers athletics department spokesman Jason Baum declined to comment on the school’s response to Nelson’s assault charges beyond a statement issued by the university Sunday.

“We are in the process of gathering information on the situation and reserve comment until the legal process is complete,” the statement read.

He also declined to answer questions about the university’s process of vetting incoming football players.

Steph Stassen, a graduate student who said she witnessed the assault, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the bars had just closed when “all of a sudden, this guy comes out of nowhere and sucker punches” Kolstad. Stassen and her roommate said another person, not Nelson, threw the punch, but that a man she later learned was Nelson then kicked Kolstad in the head “like it was a soccer ball — just out of nowhere.”

A friend of Kolstad’s identified as S.T. told police that he and Kolstad were walking between bars when they ran into Nelson, who was with some friends, according to court records. Nelson and Kolstad had a “heated verbal exchange,” and Nelson, “said something about somebody kissing his girlfriend,” S.T. told police.

S.T. said that while he was trying to calm Kolstad down, Kolstad struck Nelson in the upper-back shoulder area, knocking him off balance, according to court records.

Nelson told police that earlier in the evening a bouncer had tried to kiss his girlfriend, who was identified only by her initials, M.V. According to Nelson’s account which differs from the account provided by S.T. and the video surveillance, they were walking when Nelson was punched in the head by someone he thought was the bouncer, and he saw the man in the red shirt punching the bouncer, the court records read.

A neurosurgeon with the Mayo Clinic, where told police Sunday evening that Kolstad was suffering from severe head and pulmonary injuries, according to court records. Asked whether Kolstad would survive, the neurosurgeon, identified as Dr. Cannella, said he was “not at all optimistic,” that that if he did survive, he was, “not at all optimistic that he would make a good recovery.”

“He is young and strong, but the battle he has in front of him is enormous,” Kolstad’s family said on its CaringBridge website. “We do know that his brain did sustain permanent damage. We do not yet know to what extent and won’t for many days. He is very sick.”

Nelson was taken to the Blue Earth County jail, according to a police statement. He was charged with one count of 1st degree assault with great bodily harm and one count of third degree assault with substantial bodily harm.

A message left with Nelson’s parents Monday was not immediately returned.

Police have issued a description and surveillance video of the man in the red shirt, who has not been identified.

Nelson played in 11 games for Minnesota last season, but said he transferred to Rutgers because the program offers a more pass-friendly offense.

He completed 50.5 percent of his passes for 1,306 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions last season. He also rushed for 364 yards and six touchdowns while sharing quarterback duties.

Sam Thompson, who said he played football with Kolstad for three years, told The Associated Press he was with Kolstad on the night of the assault but didn’t want to comment out of respect for his family and the investigation.

But he said Kolstad has a 3-year-old daughter and that his wife is pregnant.

“A recurring theme in his life is the importance of family,” Thompson said. “He’s got such a beautiful family that he’s just starting... He’s just a family guy. He loves his daughter so much and is looking forward to the birth of his second child.”

Thompson said Kolstad graduated in December and recently started working at Fastenal, a local company.